From 'Story Worth" 12/2/17

HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDS THEN AND NOW

     There were two boys on neighboring farms my age when we children. Together we attended eight years of country school and many years of Sunday School.  Wayne Risty lived two miles away and Lloyd Hope lived three and half.  We began elementary school together and remained classmate until we graduated from Sinai High School in 1956 and then we went our separate ways. While in elementary school Lloyd and I occasionally stayed over night in each other's home but Wayne and I never did. 

    Lloyd was one of six children so staying at his house was fun.  He had two older brothers and a younger brother and two younger sisters. Lloyd's father, Arndt, had immigrated from Norway, via Canada.  He was very extroverted and his Norwegian was better than his English.  The Hopes milked many cows by hand.  Arndt would carry on long conversations with himself in Norwegian as he milked.

    There were eleven students in the freshman class when we began High School.  In that first year my closest friends were Roger Husby and Wayne Quam,  We were "The Three Musketeers."   But, Wayne dropped out after a year to work as a bridge builder, which he did until he retired, a bit early, because his knees were worn out from the work.  Wayne, who died a couple of years ago, never recovered from the death of his only child, a daughter who died as a young women.  We seldom saw each other over the years even though he was never far from Sinai.  However, a few years ago I stopped at his rural farmhouse one day for a visit.  He was home alone because his wife was at work.  It was a good visit but unfortunately our last.  Charles Sween also dropped out of school and Mark Stime transferred to a Lutheran Boarding School, Augustana Academy, Canton. S.D.  Mark now lives in Brookings and we are in regular contact via Facebook.

    Roger and I continued on as best buds.  We were both on the football and basketball teams.  Roger's family moved to Brookings but, Roger not liking school there, rented a room in Sinai and graduated from Sinai High with me.  After graduation Roger enlisted in the Army and I enrolled at South Dakota State University.  When he was home on leave we'd see each other but he soon moved away and our contacts were very infrequent.  He married a couple of times, had several children and lived in Iowa and other more southern states.  The last time we talked was about thirty years ago when he called me, though I don't remember much of the conversation.  Several of his siblings remained near Sinai so I would hear about him from them.  Roger died as an unrecovered alcoholic.  

    During high school Lloyd and I were not particularly close though we were on the basketball team together.  During my second year at State College we roomed together.  Lloyd had gone to a trade school in S. D., and was working as a cabinet maker in Brookings.  His older brother, Rolf, and David Halvorson (also from Sinai) were also attending State.  We lived in the tiny basement, with two other students, Larry and Jim (who were uncle and nephew), of Reuben and Doris Skordal.  Reuben and Doris were originally from Sinai. too.

    Three years out of high school Lloyd married Judy Sneve when she graduated from Sinai High.  They lived several places including Brookings, Richfield, MN. and Sinai.  Judy died of cancer but before she did she told Lloyd that after her death he should marry the widow who lived next door to them in Richfield.  They were married but eventually divorced and Lloyd moved to Volga, S.D., where he lives now.

    While we seldom saw each over the years we remained connected by Sinai and his siblings who lived there.  Some years ago (eight?) needing a fourth person for our golf group we invited Lloyd to join us.  He played with us for several years until he moved to Volga.  Golf gave us the most regular and extended contact we'd had since we lived together in 1957-58.  When I'm in S.D. now we regularly have dinner together.

   Of the eight of us who graduated together four have died.  In September, while I was in S.D., I called Lloyd and Eleda (Sagmoe) Brotsky, and, over dinner, we had a mini-class reunion which included Joanne and Eleda's husband, Bob.  Eleda and Bob live near Brookings.   She taught nursing at South Dakota State for many years and is now retired.

    Wayne Risty and I were in contact until his death a couple of years ago.  After the Army he lived out west awhile, then lived near Sinai and finally in Brookings.  He farmed with his brother on the home farm where he grew up.  Commuting to the farm from Brookings he'd drive through Sinai.  If he saw me at my Sinai Garage he'd stop to talk.  Wayne, had a large family, eight children in all.